Floating vessel



Oct. 13, 1964 F. J. DYER 3,152,570

FLOATING VESSEL.

Filed sept. 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 INVENTOR ORNEY 70 3,1525 F. J. DYER 2 Oct 13, 1964 FLOATING VESSEL 2 smaetssheec t. 26 Filed Sep United States Patent O "ice 3,152,570 FLATING VESSEL Francis I. Dyer, 26 E. Garteld St., Merrick, N.Y. Fired sept. ze, 1962, ser. No. 226,229 4 Claims. (ci. 114-69) This invention relates to a floating vessel and more particularly to a vessel which is constructed of relatively light weight materials. The principles of the present invention are, for example, adaptable for use in constructing barges and accordingly it has been so illustrated and described in the accompanying drawings and specification. Itis to be understood, however, that other types of vessels such as self propelled ships and pleasure craft may also `embody the features of the present invention.

One aspect of the present invention contemplates the use of materials of construction which are relatively light in weight thereby reducing the overall weight of the vessel and enabling it to carry a heavier load while reducing propelling power and corresponding fuel consumption and permitting it to travel at a faster rate of speed.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a floating Vessel which Vis constructed of light weight materials and which is able to carry a heavier load than prior known vessels of the same size.

Another object is .to provide a vessel having a hull constructed of a resilient material and employing a rigid foam plastic between .the hull and the vessel compartments.

Another .object is to provide a vessel which will not rust and in which Vmaintenance requirements are kept at a minimum.

A further object is to `provide a vessel that is readily able to withstand shock loads and which will not sink when the hull structure is punctured.

Another object Vis to provide a vessel having `a resilient hull which allows the vessel to more readily absorb shock loads upon `contacting obstructions to thereby eliminate or .reduce .damages to the vessel resulting therefrom.

A further object is to provide a vessel which may be easily repaired upon damage to the hull.

Another object is to provide a vessel which is very bouyant.

T he aforesaid-objectsof the present invention and other objects which will become apparent as the description proceeds are achieved, in one embodiment of the invention, by providing a hull which is formed of several 'layers of overlapping reinforced sheets of resilient material, such asa ,woven fiber or a synthetic material 'having an elastic composition coating .on either side, and wherein such sheets are held together by .an adhesive cement. A preformed .deck structure is .placed over the resilient hull and interior compartments madeof preformed lightweight material such as plastic are supported .in .the hull by the deck structure as a ,liquid `foam fonning mixture is introduced to the interior spaces of .the hull. A rigid foam formed from said liquid mixture ills in the void spaces in the hull while adhereing to .the Vhull and Vcompartments and :thereby supporting the deck structure .and the compartments while providing an overall .unitary light weight vessel.

For a better ,understanding of the present invention reference should Vbe had to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals of reference indicate similar parts thereout `the several views and wherein:

FIG. l is a partial plan view .of a barge constructed y atsasts Patented Oct. 13, 1964 according to the present invention showing the cargo compartments and their covers.

FG. 2 is a partial sectional elevation taken along the line 2jr- 2 of FIG. l.

PEG. 3 is a plan view of a temporary structure upon which the resilient hull is formed and showing an outline of the resilient hull thereon.

FG. 4 is a sectional elevation ltaken along the line Li-iof FlG. 3 and also showing an outline of the resilient hull formed thereon.

FG. 5 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 5 5 of FlG. 3.

FiG. 6 is a perspective view of the preformed Upper decl: structure before the outer bumper rail is aflixed thereto.

FG. 7 is a plan view of the preformed upper deck structure showing the bumper rail mounted on the outer edges thereof.

FIG. 8 is a partial sectional elevation on a larger scale showing the juncture between the resilient hull and the upper deck structure.

PEG. 9 is a partial schematic sectional view on a larger scale of a reinforced resilient sheet used for constructing the huil.

FlG. 10 is a cross sectional view on a larger scale of one embodiment of a structural member used in making the structure shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 1l is a sectional elevation on a reduced scale showing a modified cargo compartment.

Before vexplaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of be- -ing practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring to the drawings, the barge shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a hull lil, a plurality `of cargo compartments (one of which is lindicated at l2) in the hull, aldeck structure ld and a rigid foam plastic '16 which fills the space within the hull i@ not taken up by the .cargo compartments.

The hull llt? is initially formed with 'the aid of a temporary structure indicated generally at 18 `in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 whereby sheets or stripsof reinforced and resilient material are wound or placed around the outside of the temporary structure i8 in overlapping relationships and are cemented to one another to form the hull 10.

The resilient sheets or strips 17 (FIG. 9) used for form- :ing the 1 ull may be a coated fabric lwherein ,a coa-ting 21 of synthetic elastic ,composition is applied .to bot-h sides of a woven fabric 19. The synthetic elastic ycoating may be, for example, rubber or neoprene while the fabric may be one of the many man made lfibres. The coating v2.1 may b e .applied to the fabric 19 by impregnating, spreading, dipping, or calendering the yelastic composition on the woven fabric during the process of manufacture of the strips or it may be applied to the layers` o f fabric as they are wound or laid about the temporary structure 1 8.

The outline of the temporary structure 1.8 on whiohthe hull is to be formed conforms generally to the inner shape of the completed yhull ttl so that when the temporary structure 18 is eventually removed -t-he cemented sheets will 3 remain to form a resilient hull. The temporary structure 18 may be made of any suitable material such as wood.

Since the purpose of the temporary structure 18 is merely to form an outline of the inner shape of the hull 18 to enable the hull to be formed thereon, such temporary structure 1S may be constructed in any manner found t0 be suitable. In FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 a plurality of longitudinal, transverse, and upright wooden beams 2i), 21 and 22 respectively, are used to form a supporting frame work while sheet material 24, such as plywood, is attached to the beams at the sides and at the bottom to form the surfaces on which the resilient sheets 17 are laid. It is not essential to use plywood sheet material 24 to form a closed top on the temporary structure 18 since the 'hull 10 is initially formed without a deck, a preformed deck structure being attached to the hull later as Well as hereinafter described.

Since the lshape of the hull may vary for different types of barges or vessels, the temporary structure 18 is made to conform to the desired shape. The temporary structure 18, for example, may have sloping forward and rear bottom portions 26 and 28 respectively to form a hull having a corresponding shape. An outline of the resilient hull 10 formed on the outside of the temporary structure 18 is indicated by broken lines in FIGS. 3 and 4.

After `the resilient 'hull 10 is formed on the temporary structure 18 as hereinafter further described, the temporary structure 18 is lifted from the formed hull 10 and may be re-used for making additional hulls, it being understood that the temporary structure 1S forms no permanent part of the completed barge.

The hull 10 is formed over the temporary structure 18 by placing thereon a plurality of layers of overlapping strips or sheets 17 of reinforced resilient material as shown, for example, in FIG. 8. The strips 17 may be of rectangular shape having a relatively narrow width compared to its length so that they may be laid lengthwise generally parallel to the deck along its length or across the front and stern of the barge. The strips 17 may be first laid `along the bottom mid-section of the temporary structure 18 and then additional strips 17 added to complete the bottom and sides, working from said bottom midsection up the sides toward both gunwales. In this Way, as each strip 17 is added it can be made to overlap a preceding strip. The number of layers of strips used may depend on individual requirements `and if desired more layers may he used in some sections than others to further rigidity such sections such as at the keel. The strips may be overlapped in any suitable fashion such as shown in FIG. 8 where each of the overlapping strips 17 are parallel -to each other or by having longitudinal edge portions of adjacent strips of one layer overlap one another and having the strips of the succeeding layer straddling such overlapped edge portions. Also one layer of strips may extend longitudinally of the vessel while a succeeding layer may extend transversely around the hull from gunwale to gunwale.

A bonding cement is applied to the surfaces of the strips 17 as they are placed in position so that all the strips will be bonded together. The bonding cement also serves to fill any voids which may occur between overlapping strips 17 and layers. The strips 17 that contact the temporary structure 18 are not provided with cement so that the temporary structure 18 may be easily withdrawn after the hull 10 is completed. The hull 10 is formed up to the upper edges of the temporary structure 18 so that the temporary structure 1S can be easily withdrawn therefrom.

If the size of the barge is very large, the resilient hull 10 by itself may not be self supporting so that the hull 10 will tend to bend or collapse when the temporary structure 18 is withdrawn. Consequently, temporary supporting members (not shown) at the outside of the hull 10 may be used to support the hull 18 in its proper shape until the remaining barge structural members have been added.

After the hull 1() is completed and the temporary structure 18 withdrawn, a preformed deck structure 14 (FIG. 7) is placed in the upper part of the hull 1) and temporarily supported therein by any suitable external overhanging means (not shown). The deck structure 14 is preformed from structural members made of a rigid material such as wood or alternatively, hollow Wooden or metal members 34 (FIG. l0), having rigid foam resin 36 therein.

The construction of the deck structure 14 will depend on the number, sizes, and shapes of the compartments 12 to be formed in the hull 1i). FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a portion of the deck structure 14 used on a barge having six cargo compartments wherein longitudinal beams 38 and 39 extend the length thereof and transverse `beams such as at 4t) extend therebetween to define the various openings for cargo compartments such as 41. The forward and stern cargo compartments openings 42 and 44 respectively may be smaller than the remaining compartments to provide additional deck space at the forward and stern sections of the barge.

Extending around the edges of the deck structure 14, and spaced from the outboard beams by resilient cushioning members 47 is a bumper guard 46. This bumper guard 46 and its resilient cushioning members 47 serve to absorb shock loads imparted to the barge when the upper portion of the hull 19 bumps a dock or other obstruction. The cushioning members 47 may fill the complete gaps between the spaced bumper guard 46 and the deck structure outboard beams, as illustrated in the front and stern portions of FIG. 7 or they may be conveniently spaced as illustrated at the sides in FIG. 7.

After the deck structure 14 including its attached bumper guard 46 are placed and externally supported in the upper portion of the hull 10, preformed cargo compartments such as 12, are placed in all the openings, such as at 41, 42 and 44, in the deck structure 14. The openings 41, 42 and 44 in the deck structure 14 are made to correspond generally to the shape of the cargo compartments so they will pass easily therethrough while laterally extending support members or flanges 50 around the upper rim of the cargo compartments serve to support the weight of ythe cargo compartments from the deck structure 14. After the cargo compartments are placed in the openings of the deck structure, suitable support members 51 may be aflixed to the cargo compartments below the upper rim to bear against the deck structure and prevent the cargo compartment from being forced up through the opening of the deck structure. The cargo compartments may be preformed from suitable material such as a re-inforced molded plastic.

With the deck structure 14 bumper guard 46 and preformed cargo compartments in place within the hull 10, the void spaces in the hull are filled by placing therein a liquid reactive mixture of foamable material whereby the mixture reacts in the hull 10 to form a rigid foam to ll in all such void spaces in the hull 10. By foamingin-place in this way the rigid foam body 16 formed thereby will conform to the contour of the hull 10 and cargo compartments to fill all voids therebetween, and due to its self-adhesive properties, it will adhere to the inside surface of the hull 10 and to the sides of the cargo compartments. If desired, an adhesive cement may be applied to the hull, cargo compartments, and the under side of the deck structure before the foam is formed to increase the adhesion of the rigid foam thereto.

The type of foam used may be a rigid urethane foam which is a strong, light-weight, closed-cell material produced by shnultaneous expansion and polymerization of a urethane resin. The rigid foam may be formed by pouring-in-place wherein liquids are mixed in measured proportions and poured in the cavity to be iilled. The

liquid mixture seeks the lowest level, then begins to react and expand to ll in the heretofore mentioned void spaces or cavity. After the expansion, further chemical reaction completes the hardening. The foam will adhere irmly to the cavity Walls eliminating spaces in which condensed moisture can accumulate. Once in place the foam becomes an integral part of the structure adding strength thereto. The formed-in-place foam completely lls the cavity regardless of shape and thereby eliminates the need for fabrication such as cutting, shaping, tting and assembly, thus offering economy in fabrication.

As the liquid foamable resin is cast and expands, it will tend to exert a pressure on the hull 10, deck structure 14, and cargo compartments. Therefore, the resilient hull may be made initially somewhat smaller than the final desired size so that the expanding foam acting on the hull will tend to expand and stretch it to its final desired shape. If necessary, external support members, previously referred to herein, may be used around the hull 1i) to limit excessive and undesired expansion of the` hull 10. The cargo compartments l2 may be temporarily braced by wooden beams as the foam is expanding while the temporary overhead support structure for supporting the deck structure 14 (previously referred to) in the upper portion of the hull 1t), may be made rigid so that expanding foam will not move the deck structure out of place.

The foam may be poured in several stages whereby the height of foam rise can be gauged by the amount of resin used in each pouring. Therefore, prior tothe final casting of the resin to bring the foam up to the level of the deck, all openings in the deck structure 14 between the deck structure 14 and the bumper guard 46, and between the bumper guard 46 and the inside of the hull 10 are eliminated by filling or covering them temporarily in any expedient manner, such as for example, by using wooden boards. However, convenient :openings are provided in the deck structure for introducing the foamable mixture into the hull. Once the rigid foam 16 has hardened and is cured it forms a monolithic structure. The temporary supports for the hull 10 and for the deck structure 14, previously referred to, may then be removed.

The deck may then be completed by extending the layers of overlapping sheet material from the sides up over to the deck to extend there over and provide a layer 57 of sheet material on top of the deck as can best be seen in FlG. S. The overlapping layer of resilient strips 117 are first extended slightly above the top of the deck structure id to form a raised gunwale 52 while bands` of metal 54 and 55, or other suitable material, held together by bolts 56 passing through the raised gunwale 52 serve to rigidify the raised gunwale and to help join the hull to the deck.

Alternatively, the layers of resilient strips forming the upper sides of the hull may be continued over to the deck without providing the raised gunwales.

With the barge constructed as above described, the deck structure 14 will be supported on the underlying rigid foam material 16 while the cargo compartments will be supported by the ilanges 50 on the deck structure 14 and by the foam 16 surrounding the cargo compartments due to the adhesion therebetween. Thus the deck structure i4 will absorb the primary pushing, pulling, and shock forces imparted to the barge. If desired, the cargo compartments may have a slight taper as shown in FIG. 1l so that the load in the compartment 12a will be distributed more positively lto the surrounding rigid foam i6.

If the hull and rigid foam is damaged by puncture or other mechanical means, the area effected will be l'nnited to the area of actual penetration by the damaging instrumentality while the adjacent rigid foam will not be effected. Also the damaged area may be repaired by introducing the liquid mixture such as with a spray gun to fill in the damaged area with rigid foam while the damaged hull can be repaired byremoving the damaged resilient strips and cementing new strips thereto.

The sealed cells of the rigid foam will prevent water logging while increasing the buoyancy of the vessel (boa-ts) to a point where it is practically unsinkablel The foam is sturdy in fresh and salt water and resists destructive marine growths and organisms.

The invention hereinabove described may be varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted tov the precise details of the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. A barge or the like, the combination comprising a hull made of a resilient material and having a generally open top, means in said hull forming a structural support for absorbing the primary pushing, pulling, and shock forces imparted to said barge during normal use thereof and not generally being capable of being absorbed by said resilient hull, said means comprising a rigid top deck structure disposed within and adjoining the upper portion of said hull, said deck structure being comprised of a plurality of rigid structural members joined to one another and constructed and arranged to form a rigid unitary structure for the entire barge, a plurality of containercompartments supported from said deck structure and extending into but spaced from said hull such that the hull, deck structure, and container-compartments form a closed space, a monolith of foam material in said closed space conforming to the contour thereof tot iill said closed space, said deck structure being supported on said monolith of foam material such that the foam material forms an integral part of the barge to maintain the deck structure in said upper portion of the hull and to maintain the contour of the resilient hull, said foam material thereby maintaining the integrity of the barge while said rigid deck structure provides the main strength and rigidity for the barge to absorb the aforesaid primary pushing, pulling, and shock forces encountered by the barge during normal use thereof.

2. A barge or the like, the combination comprising a hull made of a resilient material and having a generally open top, a rigid topdeck structure disposed within and adjoining the upper portion of said hull, said deck structure being comprised of a plurality of rigid structural members joined Ato one another and constructed and arranged to form a rigid unitary structure for the entire barge for absorbing the primary pushing, pulling, and shock forces imparted to said barge during normal use thereof, said structural members being arranged to define a plurality of openings in said deck structure, containercompartments in said openings supported from said deck structure, said container-compartments extending into but spaced from said hull such that the hull, deck structure, and container-compartments form a closed space, a monolith of plastic material in said closed space conforming to the oontour thereof to fill said closed space, said deck structure being supported on said monolith to thereby maintain the deck structure in its position in said upper portion of the hull, said monolith also serving to maintain the contour of said resilient hull, said monolith thereby maintaining the integrity of the barge while the rigid deck structure provides the main strength and rigidity for the barge to absorb the aforesaid primary pushing, pulling, and shock forces encountered by the barge during normal use thereof.

3. A barge as set forth in claim l wherein said hull is formed of a plurality of overlapping bonded strips of a reinforced resilient material, said overlapping strips extending upwardly above the elevation of said deck structure at the periphery of the latter tot form a raised generally vertical gunwale, said overlapping and bonded strips continuing and extending over said deck structure to the peripheries of said container-compartments to thereby d cover said deck structure and render the latter Water tight.

4. A oating vessel as set forth in claim 1 wherein said deck structure is preformed from a plurality of joined structural members having hollow interiors, and a rigid foam material in said hollow interiors. 5

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 8 Gould Mar. 28, 1961 Orr May 2, 1961 Mills Aug. 8, 1961 Urban Nov. 7, 1961 Fisher Dec. 19, 1961 Theakston June 26, 1962 Miller Mar. 5, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS France Apr. 29, 1940 France July 20, 1959 

1. A BARGE OR THE LIKE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A HULL MADE OF A RESILIENT MATERIAL AND HAVING A GENERALLY OPEN TOP, MEANS IN SAID HULL FORMING A STRUCTURAL SUPPORT FOR ABSORBING THE PRIMARY PUSHING, PULLING AND SHOCK FORCES IMPARTED TO SAID BARGE DURING NORMAL USE THEREOF AND NOT GENERALLY BEING CAPABLE OF BEING ABSORBED BY SAID RESILIENT HULL, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A RIGID TOP DECK STRUCTURE DISPOSED WITHIN AND ADJOINING THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID HULL, SAID DECK STRUCTURE BEING COMPRISED OF A PLURALITY OF RIGID STRUCTURAL MEMBERS JOINED TO ONE ANOTHER AND CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO FORM A RIGID UNITARY STRUCTURE FOR THE ENTIRE BARGE, A PLURALITY OF CONTAINERCOMPARTMENTS SUPPORTED FROM SAID DECK STRUCTURE AND EXTENDING INTO BUT SPACED FROM SAID HULL SUCH THAT THE HULL, DECK STRUCTURE, AND CONTAINER-COMPARTMENTS FORM A CLOSED SPACE, A MONOLITH OF FOAM MATERIAL IN SAID CLOSED SPACE CONFORMING TO THE CONTOUR THEREOF TO FILL SAID CLOSED SPACE, SAID DECK STRUCTURE BEING SUPPORTED ON SAID MONOLITH OF FOAM MATERIAL SUCH THAT THE FOAM MATERIAL FORMS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE BARGE TO MAINTAIN THE DECK STRUCTURE IN SAID UPPER PORTION OF THE HULL AND TO MAINTAIN THE CONTOUR OF THE RESILIENT HULL, SAID FOAM MATERIAL THEREBY MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY OF THE BARGE WHILE SAID RIGID DECK STRUCTURE PROVIDES THE MAIN STRENGTH AND RIGIDITY FOR THE BARGE TO ABSORB THE AFORESAID PRIMARY PUSHING, PULLING, AND SHOCK FORCES ENCOUNTERED BY THE BARGE DURING NORMAL USE THEREOF. 